Arson by Estevan Vega

Arson by Estevan Vega

Published: May 4th 2010 by Tate Publishing

Pages: 318 pages

Rating: B-

Summary:

ARSON GABLE FEELS LIKE A FREAK. HE CAN CREATE FIRE. HE NEVER ASKED FOR IT. HE NEVER WANTED IT. BUT HE CAN'T SHUT IT OFF.

Before now, three things were true: he both loved and despised his grandmother; his life was going nowhere; and he was alone. But when a strange girl-who feels more normal behind a mask than inside her own skin-moves in next door, Arson hopes to find something he's never had: purpose. Using what he fears the most about himself, Arson must face his consuming past and confront the nightmare that is present as he walks the fine line between boy and monster. Dark, moody, and breathtakingly relevant, Arson, the chilling chronicle of an isolated boy with unimaginable ability, is sure to ignite the hearts and minds of a new generation.

Review:

I have very mixed thoughts about Arson. I'm still not quite sure if I enjoyed the novel or if it just fell flat for me.

To start, this is the first novel by Vega that I've read so I wasn't too sure about his style of writing or if I would like the book. The summary did intrigue me though, so I gave the book a shot. Arson started off strong and I was eager to read on. The main character, Arson, was troubled and had secrets that I yearned to know more about. I thought he was kind and had a strong heart especially with the guilt he deals with throughout the book. His ability to create fire also adds more spark (no pun intended ;D ) to his personality.

As you read further into the book, things get a little bit odd, for example the way his grandmother acts around him. She is definitely not loving or sane in my opinion but the reasoning behind that does gets explained. I also thought that although Arson started off well, the development and plot of the book were very poor. The middle section of the book really had no point to it except maybe to emphasize the feelings Emery and Arson were developing for each other but that dragged on a bit too long for my taste. As for the conclusion of the book, it was excellent. There was excitement and twists in the plot that I totally didn't see coming and Vega ended the book with an awesome cliffhanger!

To finish, I wouldn't say that Arson was great but it was a good book. It's worth it to read it when you have the time.